Baltimore buyers have a protracted love affair with Lexington Market, and for good purpose. This culinary establishment is now reinventing itself however at all times has been a loud and rambunctious vacation spot, and is about as Baltimore because it will get.
Lexington Market was — and is — a real gathering spot. It was mobbed with patrons when Baltimore’s inhabitants peaked, within the 900,000 vary.
This isn’t a spot for the consumers who just like the predictability of chain shops and the uniformity of quick meals retailers.
[ A rebuilt Lexington Market reopens and begins serving customers ]
For many years, there was at all times some proof of sawdust scattered on the polished terrazzo ground. This was not a sanitized grocery store. Its butchers’ and seafood sellers’ counters provided in-your-face shows of animal anatomy and simply plain bizarre stuff.
“The place was about meals, and it was not squeamish about those that appreciated meat, or seafood oddities, on the desk,” mentioned a 2002 Solar story. “It was the place to look at the precise pig’s head, nostrils and ears used to brighten a show of scrapple, sausage, pork loin and chops. There have been jars of pickled pigs’ ft and different treats that solely tempted the culinary adventurous.”
The market had its followers. Meals knowledgeable Andrew Zimmern, in his “Weird Meals” tv present, visited Baltimore and positioned pans of ready Korean-style tripe, the chewy abdomen lining from a cow, within the Lexington Market’s west constructing, between Paca and Greene streets.
Lexington Market was a vacation spot venue for buyers’ extremely particular wants. Within the days when Rheb’s sweet counter was a must-stop, individuals shaped traces with typed lists of particular bonbon varietals to be hand-packed. This might translate into a protracted look forward to a single candied pineapple and a darkish chocolate sponge. Then, on the final minute, prospects may ask for almond paste and slices of almond bark.
“The bakery offered sorts of Berger’s cookies far past the well-known chocolate-coated selection,” the Solar story mentioned. “There have been additionally Berger layer muffins. When meals tastes and recipes have been rising extra unique (past the scope of the reliable Baltimore Fuel and Electrical Co. cookbook), the Lexington Market carried such a rarity as Gorgonzola cheese, which isn’t fairly so tough to seek out as we speak.”
Some market experiences have been unforgettable. There was the vender, often a small man, who sat behind a counter grating recent horseradish earlier than your eyes. As a result of horseradish was so pungent and so efficient at inflicting eyes to water, he saved an electrical fan close by to blow the fumes away from his eyes and nostrils.
This fellow additionally grated the recent coconut that grew to become the icing on do-it-yourself birthday muffins.
Konstant Candies and Peanuts had its stall close to Eutaw Avenue on the market’s entrance.
After Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992, it grew to become one thing of luck custom to purchase a bag of freshly roasted peanuts on the Konstant outside stall.
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Its sizzling canine, espresso, sweet and nut counter inside had prospects standing two- and three-deep. Consumers have been unaware that the scrumptious peanut brittle and taffies provided within the glass instances have been made on the premises, a flight down, in copper kettles out there’s sprawling basement.
Outdated-time Baltimore had its exact favorites. The Panzer pickle counter provided a yellow chow-chow relish in contrast to others. Its pickle relish was distinct from that offered in a sequence grocery store. A sandwich at one of many deli counters wouldn’t style the identical as one from a competitor.
These with a candy tooth typically purchased 50 cents’ price of molasses taffy from Ortmuller’s stall. The taffy was brittle, and clerks behind the counter broke it to dimension with a hammer. In addition they scored a public relations victory by providing small shards without spending a dime.
Then there was winter muskrat-trapping season. The skinned critters have been typically offered outdoor, whereas skinned pig’s heads, recent fish stacked atop mountains of ice and buckets of oysters could possibly be discovered inside. Nothing was prepackaged.
Some buyers most well-liked Konrad Thiebes’ sauerkraut. Others mentioned they may inform the distinction from meat from Foell’s or Soistman’s.
Some swore by a quart of buttermilk and recent butter that have been absolutely from Fort Farms, whose cows roamed close to Emmitsburg. The Fort Farms vanilla ice cream, when topped with fresh-sliced peaches, was a robust dessert.
The brand new market makes its debut in time for November. Pigs fattened over the summer time are actually prepared for slaughter. It’s a time for scrapple and looking out ahead to Thanksgiving.
